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22 ARCHBOLD
MEDICAL CENTER
FOR SUSIE SHERROD,
healthcare
and nursing have been a lifelong pursuit.
And even in retirement she’s seeing to
the well-being of South Georgians as a
benefactor of the Archbold Foundation’s
nursing scholarship program. In 1958, Mr.
and Mrs. John Hay “Jock” Whitney made
a gift to endow a nursing scholarship
program at John D. Archbold Memorial
Hospital in honor of their longtime
friend and manager, Major Louis Beard.
As one of the inaugural recipients of the
first class of Beard Scholarship honorees,
Sherrod believes strongly in giving back.
“I firmly believe that if you help pre-
pare individuals with life skills, they will
be more happy and productive citizens,”
she says. “I strongly believe that if you
have the financial means, you should
always pay it forward.”
And that’s what it’s all about for the
30-year nursing veteran and 22-year
United States Army veteran who served
as a colonel in the Army Nurse Corps.
“Through the years I have always
supported individuals trying to advance
their education,” Sherrod said.
Program helps future nurses
The scholarship program provides finan-
cial support to nursing students learning
to serve their communities. Sherrod
said it provided a big boost to her own
studies at Norman College, where she
earned an associate’s degree in nursing
in 1961. From there she progressed to
the Medical College of Georgia for her
bachelor’s degree in nursing and later
on to the University of Maryland for her
master’s degree in Nursing.
Serving in the Nursing Corps also
helped shape her view of her career. And
those experiences gave her the oppor-
tunity to serve as head nurse of medical
and surgical units at Archbold in the
1960s, as a nursing school educator and
as chief nurse at three Army hospitals, as
well as in the role of clinical and mana-
gerial researcher.
As a proud member of the Thomasville
and South Georgia communities, she also
has a heartfelt connection with the work
of the hospital that helped get it all started.
The need is growing
“Archbold has a huge economic impact
on the communities it serves,” Sherrod
said. “It provides exceptional medical
care, community educational programs
and is fully committed to wellness and
quality-of-life programs.”
The average age of employed RNs has
increased by nearly two years. And as the
country’s population ages, there is a vast
increase in the number of people over
65—an age group that has many medi-
cal and health needs. Recent reforms in
healthcare are anticipated to give many
more people access to the healthcare
system, and more nurses and health
professionals are needed in response.
And programs like the Foundation’s
scholarship can help train more of the
next generation of nurses like Sherrod.
“Since it began in 1958, the Archbold
Foundation scholarship program has
awarded over $7 million in scholarships
to students pursuing a career in nurs-
ing,” said Vann Middleton, Archbold
Foundation President. “We’re so grateful
for Ms. Sherrod’s commitment to invest-
ing in the future of healthcare providers
in our community. Her support will have
a lasting impact on future caregivers at
Archbold for years to come.”
“If you have the financial
means, you should always
pay it forward.”
—Susie Sherrod
Boostedby
GENEROSITY
"I was able to focus on my
studies and worry less about
financial burdens while
pursuing my nursing degree
with the help of the Archbold
Foundation. And I had a
great job at Archbold once I
finished school."
—Erma Harris, RN